Black Thorns
by x Dark Lady x
Summary: Mikan never learns the real reason why Hotaru left, and so her personality takes a drastic turn. Months later, a cold, calculating Mikan Sakura is invited to the prestigious Gakuen Alice. No pairings. Possible R/H, future N/M.
1. Episode 1, Part I

**Black Thorns:  
><strong>**黒いとげ**

Summary: Mikan never learns the real reason why Hotaru left, and so her personality takes a drastic turn. Months later, a cold, calculating Mikan Sakura is invited to the prestigious Gakuen Alice. Armed with the power of her SEC Alice, there is not one person who doesn't wonder – which side is Mikan really on?

Pairings: None decided, but possible Natsume/Mikan (if so, it will be way, _way _in the future) and Ruka/Hotaru.

Time Frame: Fills in the time skips in the First Chapter, and then vaguely follows Canon from Chapter 2-3 onwards.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: This is an AU fic, in the original "Gakuen Alice"; Mikan _doesn't _possess the SEC (Steal; Erase; Copy) Alice, but she only has Nullification, Stealing and Insertion. In this story, "Black Thorns," Mikan will have the SEC Alice, and Nullification, but there will be drawbacks to each one. (They will be explained in every chapter, and so will each of Mikan's Alices, as they are introduced.)

Also, Mikan will be a _lot _different from the one in the Manga/Anime, so if you don't like my version of a semi-dark (like, bordering neutral) Mikan, then please click exit, and save us all the trouble. The first part may seem reeeeally weird, but give it a chance. It gets better when we actually enter GA! Promise! Anyway, enough babbling...here we go! [I was going to write another 2-3 chapters before I posted this, but I was horribly impatient. Don't expect regular updates, and how often I update it depends on how much of a response I get. I have a lot of other unfinished stories that need to be worked on!]

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><p><strong>Episode 1: The Beginning<br>**Part I: Discovering

_"Hotaru Imai had only one close friend, herself, because from that day forth, she didn't want anything to do with her. "_

* * *

><p><em><strong>C<strong>_louds gathered in the sky, looming over the balcony of her room. She clenched the metal railings, feeling it dig into her palm. Lying on the floor in a crunched-up ball was the remnants of a letter. _Her _letter – the same piece of paper she had posted to her best friend (whom attending the infamous Gakuen Alice) that had been sent, _straight back_, the envelope not even open.

She'd wanted to believe that it was a fluke...that the postman got something wrong and mixed up the deliveries. But even she wasn't so dense, that she thought it was a coincidence that whoever was in charge of the mail sent her back almost _every single _one of her seventy two notes. She had resigned herself to the simple fact, that Hotaru – the acclaimed companion she was – had simply _forgotten _about her.

Though, she wouldn't be all too surprised if Hotaru was just ignoring every one of them, making a cold, heartless excuse to all that showed any concern. It wasn't as if the institution was blocking her correspondence or anything – and if they were, which was highly doubtful, as it _was_ a government-run schooling program – besides, if Hotaru was a true friend, she would've found a way around it.

She'd said she would write, in fact, she had _promised _it. _Liar_... She hadn't told her that she was leaving, even though she'd sworn there to be no secrets between them. _Cheat! _She'd hit her in the face, as a goodbye present, though she'd proclaimed (albeit quietly, and after a particularly nasty bullying session) that they would always care for each other. _Hypocrite! _She'd said they'd always stick together, but she'd left, to go to some rich school. _Traitor! _She'd always made it clear, from day one, that she was her own best friend.

_I hate you!_

Standing, on her balcony, brown locks framing her face, Mikan Sakura couldn't help but agree with her. Hotaru Imai had only one close friend, herself, because from that day forth, she didn't want anything to do with her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>S<strong>_hopping wasn't the ideal thing to do on a Saturday Morning. Whilst Mikan _did _like buying new things – and she enjoyed it more than your clichéd tomboy, mind you – she just didn't like clothes. Of course, she had drawn the conclusion (after quietly observing some random group of friends weaving through various stores, looking bubbly and energetic) that perhaps it was just the _style _of clothes that perturbed her.

This was, after all, to be expected, if the only shopping partners you had were your Grandfather and the cold, indifferent Imai, who would rather wear a metal suit than a dress.

So, whenever she went shopping with either of them, she was expected to choose quickly, so she had just bought near-identical replicas of the floral pink dresses she wore when she was younger. Now that she didn't have someone constantly grumbling over her shoulder, Mikan had established that, that was the root of the problem.

She probably wouldn't have done this before, and as she stepped out of the small cafe, a fully-loaded wallet in the pocket of her jeans (which were, currently, the only pair she had) she couldn't help but thank God that she had matured a bit. A couple of months ago, she wouldn't have even bothered with even _thinking_, because Hotaru had had enough intelligence and maturity to cover both of them, leaving Mikan horribly clingy, and still stuck with her 8 year old mentality.

Now that, with the absence of the dark-haired girl, she was forced to rely on herself (though she could easily hang off another classmate, Mikan had cut herself off from the rest of society – preferring to exist only with Hotaru's companionship – so much, that everyone was now awfully edgy around her.)

But, even if it meant spending all her free time (which was a _lot_) trying to wrap her mind around theories and catch up on all those lost years of education, the caramel-eyed girl couldn't help but relish in the proud feel of being assertive enough to take care of herself.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Mikan paused (it was pure irony, though, that it happened to be just outside one of her once-favourite shops 'Fluffy Candy Blossom'), silently deliberating where to go first. Normally, if one were to go shopping, you would know, instinctively where you wanted to go, having already been familiar with what you considered your 'style,' but for Mikan (who, by know, had been pushed into changing her one-track mind into a complexity of problems within a few months, thus unknowingly influencing her brain to analyse each and every situation) it was a dilemma.

She knew nothing about clothes, having only briefly eyed the stores as she walked past them, and even less about the different arrays of items available for sale. She didn't even have any preference, having only bought girlish outfits, which she was determined _not _to get. It was like, to Mikan, trying to solve an algebra question, when you were missing the values. How can you know what to buy when you don't even know what there is to buy?

Biting her lip, Mikan remembered one of the aspiring-designers in her class rant about the importance of accessories, and how personality affected fashion choice. According to her, what people wore reflect, in a way, who they were or who they _wanted _to be. So, if she followed that rule, she should be able to narrow down, even if it was by 5%, the chance that she would have to go through every single part of every store to find even one outfit.

Or so she hoped.

Closing her eyes, she tried to picture herself walk out of a store, decked out in her new clothes, but found that she could imagine only as far as a black blur, because, simply put, she didn't know much beyond 'skirt, shirt, pants.'

Sighing, Mikan resigned herself to what she expected would be an awfully long day.

* * *

><p><em><strong>M<strong>_ikan felt like cursing whatever, or whoever, had given her Grandfather the idea that she was going through a 'teenage phase.' Apparently, when she had come home on Saturday, with a whole new wardrobe filled with black, and dark coloured gothic-styled clothes (which was, in the end, the only thing that wouldn't make her look like a codfish) he had immediately feared the worst, and dug up his old parenting books.

Unfortunately, said books were from about 40 years ago, which was rather unfortunate for her, because now, her Grandfather had some crazy delusion that she was stressed with homework, and had fallen into a 'pit of despair' because of Hotaru's absence. So, he had let her take the day off school, and spent two hours talking to her in a slow, antagonizing voice, and then made her go to her room and think about her life.

It was, frankly, rather creepy.

But of course, that was far from the end of it. As soon as she actually sat down to study (because her exams were coming up soon) her Grandfather started to get anxious, because Mikan would lock herself up in her room, for hours on end, pouring over books (and he most definitely wasn't in-tune with the 'New' Mikan Sakura) he drove all the way to the city, just so that he could buy her tickets for one of Reo Maouri's concerts.

She was awfully hesitant to even touch the thing – for the freaky, eager look on her Grandfather's face was giving her goosebumps – but he had insisted, saying that she needed to steam some of the pressure off. Mikan finally accepted it, deciding that it wouldn't do any good to hurt her Grandfather's feelings, especially since he seemed extremely over-protective, lately.

So, there she was. Decked out in a red, Lolita dress, with her brown hair curled up into a simple ponytail (which was fastened with a red rose) her ankle boots (which she had paired up with fingerless gloves and a black choker) clicked on the pavement, as she weaved her way through the bustling city, ignoring the weird looks she was getting from everyone else. Trying not to let her mind stray back to the comparison between the city and the village, she stepped through the threshold of the auditorium, where a large crowd was whispering, excitedly.

She was ushered to her seat, which was right next to a brown haired boy who looked equally as bored as her. Shrugging, Mikan slid into her seat, and turned to the boy, "So, you here against your will too?"

The boy looked up, startled, before nodding, annoyance flashing across his face. He jerked his finger to where a blonde girl was jumping up and down, chatting with some random person, "Yeah. Babysitting my sister. What about you? This doesn't look like your scene either."

"Blackmail," Mikan admitted.

The boy nodded, understandingly. "Well, at least I'm not the only one who'll be bored out of their mind, ne?"

"Yeah, I suppose," she nodded, her attention already drifting off somewhere.

It was only when the lights began to dim, and the figure of Reo appeared behind the curtains, that Mikan noticed it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>I<strong>_t, or rather _he _was standing in a corner, right near the edge of the stage. Even though the room was dark, Mikan could see his ghostly form move. As the curtains sprung up in a flurry of blue and green, she could see a flash of his face. Dark purple hair and eerie, pupil-less white eyes **(1) **glowed in the shadows, and she could distinctly see the near faded outline of said eyes.

Glancing to her left, she saw the boy who had spoken to her before, looking at the stage, where a red-haired Reo Mouri had appeared, decked out in a black jacket and torn jeans ensemble. Mikan quickly tuned out his voice, and her attention once again fell to the purple-haired boy, who was scanning the arena through narrowed eyes. Suddenly, a surprised look crossed his face, and his eyes snapped towards Mikan's.

A cold feeling bubbled under her skin, and Mikan winced slightly. Her vision blurred over, and she could almost see the hazy image of the man, staring at her, gobsmacked. Suddenly, everything spun, and she felt a sharp pain spread through her forehead, she squeezed her eyes close, and tried to deflect the throbbing pain that was almost splitting her forehead apart.

Everything was still, and the pain receded. The brunette's eyes flickered open, and she did a double-take. She couldn't see anything normally, anymore. Her whole vision was a mixture of blacks and bright, neon colours. It was almost like seeing a negative of a photo, only it was constantly moving. Feeling slightly unnerved and still disoriented, her gaze fell to the man. She noted, quickly, that unlike all the audience's, his (and the rest of Reo's co-workers) stomach was glowing and something almost stone-like lay in the depths of blackness.

Mikan was panicking, though she tried to not let it show on her face. What was happening to her? One minute she was looking at him, and the next, her whole sight had changed!

_This isn't natural! I want it to go __away__!_

But, as soon as she thought it, the odd images flickered off, and everything was back to normal. Mikan blinked, almost as if she didn't believe it. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down. She looked down at her hands, her eyes out of focus. The colours, the weird lights...it had seemed so real. She almost didn't want to believe that she was hallucinating.

_This isn't normal! There's something going on here!_

Glancing at the boy next to her, who seemed to be oblivious to what had just passed between Mikan and the white-eyed guy, she clenched her fist. Whatever was happening, she wouldn't rush into things blindly, despite her instincts. She would think things through...at home.

* * *

><p><em><strong>H<strong>_aving rushed back to her house, the moment the concert finished, she determined to head straight to her room, so that she could try and figure out what the _hell _had just happened. But, unfortunately, she was met with her very first obstacle. None other than her very own grandfather, the one person she would be _most _pleased to avoid.

"So," he said, smiling brightly. Mikan shuddered, having never seen him so _happy _before. She idly wondered if this was how he acted with his children. If he did, she wouldn't be surprised if they had fled to a boarding school or something. "How was the concert?"

"It was okay," Mikan replied, automatically. She nodded, politely, feeling rather stiff because of the new, bubbly atmosphere in the room. "Can I please go to my room, now?"

"Aren't you even going to entertain your poor old Grandfather with stories of your teenage adventures?" He tried to put on a mock-pout, which only made him, to Mikan, look ten times scarier.

Creeping away, she managed to mumble out, "I'll tell you about it all later, tomorrow. I'm awfully tired you see – you wouldn't want me exhausted, would you? I could pass out, or get a fever or something. I already ate at the city, so...I think it would better if you just...let me rest."

Seeing her grandfather's doubtful and hesitating look, she quickly added, "It's just that, I'm so _horribly _light-headed, and I feel as though I may collapse! I'm feeling extremely claustrophobic, and being in the same room as people may affect me."

Mikan spoke, making her voice as feeble as possible, "You...you don't want me to fall into a coma, do you?" Her grandfather relented immediately, and ushered her to bed, his personality taking a complete 180.

This was the day Mikan Sakura learned the concept of _acting._

* * *

><p><em><strong>I<strong>_t took her at least a dozen tries to do 'it' again. She'd tried meditating, clearing her mind, focussing on a single object, even trying to imitate her actions from before, but none of it worked. Finally, completely frustrated, she threw her hands up in the air, losing her calm demeanour. "I just don't get it! Was I really just imagining it? Why won't it just _work_?"

Then it happened. It was a flicker, the feeling you get when you switch off the lights. It didn't hurt – not like before – but it was more like, something clicked in her brain. As if it was a panel of buttons, and she was merely turning it from one mode to the next. Within a second, her vision flashed, and everything was back to the negative-view.

Though the transaction was mostly fluid, she could feel...whatever it was, pushing against a sort of barrier, though it most definitely wasn't as painful as the concert incident. Wincing, almost instinctually, she took a deep breath, and scanned her surroundings.

It was weird, really. Now that she actually _knew _what was going to happen, Mikan wasn't all that worried. As soon as she gulped down the lump in her throat, she scanned her room, thoughtfully. So...this..._power _gave her the ability to see things in a different light?

"No, there's got to be more to it than just _that_," Mikan chewed on her lower lip, try to push down the aggravation that was threatening to spark up again. She concentrated on the wall, and tried to somehow, unthread the secrets of this power. Then something flashed. It was just a quick image, but once the dark eyed girl focused on it (which took her ten minutes or so, because each time, she had to stop herself so that she didn't tear her brain muscles from the overwhelming stress) she found herself looking straight through said wall, and out into her garden.

Feeling her head throbbing, and finally relented (she figured, the more she used it later, the easier it would be to access it) and cut off the energy she was pouring into it. She flopped down onto her bed, and bit her lip. She hadn't really realised how much she had put into it. She was absolutely _exhausted_. Her arms were aching, even though she had barely used them, and she could feel a horrible migraine creeping onto her.

Forcing herself to divert her thoughts from her tired body, she mulled over the unusual discovery she had made. Mikan found it odd that she had taken to the idea without a second thought, whereas a normal person would be freaking out, but she supposed, that in a way, she had always known there was something different about her and for some reason, she just couldn't find it within herself to be the _slightest _bit scared.

It was almost like she was too comfortable with it.

Rolling over so that she was draped across her pink bed (which she had, unfortunately, had to put up with) she sighed, her eyes still an eerie white. By now, she had already deduced that it was her _will _that worked the 'switch' (It wasn't that hard to figure it out; after all, it was only after she _forced _the 'Sight' to act up, that it did. The same went for the X-Ray vision thing, she had reasoned.) As she lay then in silence, her eye twitched slightly, as she felt the energy being drained out of her.

After turning 'off' her new power – which she had dubbed Meomu, Mikan felt some of her strength return to her. Hugging her knees to her chest, the brunette, finally let a small smile grace her rosy lips, and her eyes flickered close, as she relished in what she was positive would be a wonderful, _Hotaru-free_ beginning.

It was unfortunate for her, really, that in a few days she would be shipped off to the exact place she dreaded going to.

_Gakuen Alice._

And here, my readers, is where the real story begins.

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><p><strong>(1) <strong>Think Byakugan, minus the bulging veins and 360° vision.

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><p><strong>Supplementary Information<strong>

**Copy: **This is the only original Alice Mikan has discovered so far. It is ideal for casual day use, and can be distracting if used in combat. Though it lets you copy your opponent's Alice, in a way that doesn't alert him/her, it causes a slight amount of pain for the 'Copier.' If the Alice is extremely concentrated (like an Eye/Voice Alice) all the pressure will go to that area. So, theoretically, the more spread-out Alices are better for copying.

But, as well as this, it causes disorientation for the person, and in battle, even seconds are vital. The Copier can't go crazy 'collecting' Alices either, because when you do, you are essentially adding millions of Alice Stones at the same time to your own (without letting it adapt), which isn't a good idea. If you do so, you would either collapse from extreme strain to your body or fall into coma, and those are the lower key responses.

When you add an Alice, at first, it will take several tries to actually make it work, because as it isn't your own power, it isn't fluid. But, you will never truly be able to master any of the Alices you copy, simply because it is a shadow of its true power. Say, for example, you had an Ice Alice, which was so potent; it lets you freeze several (let's say, 3, maximum) mountains at once. If you copied this Alice, and worked on perfecting it tirelessly, for many years on end, you would be able to freeze, approximately a large hill or a small mountain. If you were pushing all your limits, you'd be able to freeze one and a half. Basically, it cuts its potential in half, and increases the difficulty/energy levels by a three-fold.

But, nonetheless, the 'Copy' Alice is extremely useful, if you are able to use it cleverly enough.

**Sight/Meomumasu: **The first copied Alice in Mikan's 'collection.' Not much is known about the limits for the original Alice, and as Mikan doesn't know exactly what it does, and how well, she is going out on a limb. Though it could possibly be expanded (limit-wise) so far, the 'Sight' as Mikan knows it, possesses two features. One is a negative view of everything, which lets you see a faint outline of someone's aura/Alice Stone (we can assume that the original gives a clearer image) and the other is a slight X-Ray ability, which the copied version is limited to 5km, on every angle. The original name isn't known, but Mikan calls it, either the Sight, or Meomumasu, (which, if you split it up – "Me o mumasu" – roughly means 'Seeing Eyes') Meomu for short.

_- L.D._


	2. Episode 1, Part II

**Black Thorns:  
><strong>**黒いとげ**

Recap: Mikan establishes that she is her own person, and slowly re-builds her life. When her grandfather panics about her sudden changes, he spoils her – hoping that if he does so, she will become her happier, bubbly self – doing everything from sending her to expensive concerts and giving her 'talks.' It is through one of his methods that Mikan discovers her Copy Alice, claiming her first unoriginal Alice: Meomu.

Note: Yay! Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! This chapter will follow Mikan's unfortunate entry to Gakuen Alice, and what came before it. I'm not really happy about how it turned out, but… *shrugs* In the next chapter, we'll see the appearance of Natsume, and this time around, there's no soft-hearted girl waiting for _him._ Review! :D

Warning: One major swear word. Yes…_one_… -_-"

Dedication: My lovely friend **Winterberrytrillium! **I love you! xx

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><p><strong>Episode 1: The Beginning<br>**Part II: Changing

_"That was the day that Sakura Mikan swore to cut all ties with her grandfather, forever, and her already thin, fragile trust in humankind withered and shrivelled up into ash._"

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><p><em><strong>M<strong>_ikan watched silently, as a man hung in a tank, his eyes glassy, but his mouth twisted into a small, almost unnoticeable smile. As the crowd around her gasped, she watched impassively, her face shrouded in the darkness of the auditorium. Her eyes slowly bled into a clear, white colour and her eyes zeroed in on the man's body.

Unbeknownst to the rest of the audience, the brunette watched the man, whom was clad in seemingly casual clothes; flex his hand behind his back. Nobody else saw the soft ripples in the water as it encased the magician in a whirling vortex of blue. The water didn't touch him. He _was _the water. **(1)**

Her eyes were trained onto him, and her body was rigid. The man burst out of the tank, triumphantly, and Mikan jerked forwards, her hands trembling slightly, her body tense. The man climbed out, bowing as the silence elapsed into a burst of astonished cheers. The girl, clad in tight jeans and a black top, suddenly leaned backwards, and her eyes flickered open, now a deep chocolate brown.

Her breath was still ragged, as she positioned her right hand in front of her face, her vision still hazy. Focusing her pupils on her fingers, her brow wrinkled in concentration and slowly, almost agonizingly, a small, translucent ball appeared in her hand. In less than 2 seconds, though, it had melted back into her palm, leaving only the faintest trickle of water droplets that streaked down her finger.

Mikan smiled, victoriously, and relaxed back into her chair, suddenly feeling rather tired. She didn't know how she did it, copying these weird 'powers' that seemed to appear every time something out of the ordinary occurred, only that it took a lot of concentration. She considered herself lucky to have even stumbled across any. She mentally thanked her grandfather, who lately had been lavishing her with tickets to everything he could afford.

She didn't know the intricacies of what she was doing, and she had long since discarded the fact that this wasn't remotely normal, and had instead embraced this 'copying' technique as a gift. So far, she'd claimed only two 'powers' as her own. 'Meomu' which was a decidedly helpful tool in identifying whether people were blessed with 'powers' or not, and a weird power which she assumed was either levitation or manipulation of air. (She'd found this one when her grandfather had gotten her tickets to see a travelling circus.) And now, she had the element of water to add to her admittedly small, but useful list.

Mikan closed her eyes, and let her tense, throbbing muscles relax, forcing herself not to scream in pain. Yes, things were changing.

_And she liked it that way._

* * *

><p><em><strong>W<strong>_hatever Mikan was expecting when she got home, it wasn't _this. _

Her grandfather was sitting at the kitchen table, a phone in one hand, and a cream envelope in another. The brunette walked forward, cautiously, and his eyes shot upwards. He shook his head, quietly.

_Five minutes._

Feeling slightly worried, Mikan shrugged off her coat, and headed upstairs. _Since when…does Grandfather take…business calls? _Humming to herself, she took off her frilly, white skirt and put on a pair of beige shorts and a blank tank top. She sighed, content, and stretched slightly, casually activating the new power she had copied today. _Might as well try it out – it won't do any harm anyway._

Mikan winced, and suddenly fell to the ground, clutching her hand, which was now soaked in water. _Damn! It wasn't this hard to control before. _She flinched and massaged her hand, which was throbbing so much; you could see the blues of her veins, perfectly decorated across her pale, porcelain skin.

She scowled. _I have to be more careful next time. What if this had happened in the auditorium? _The brunette, still cradling her hand, quickly soaked her hand under the bathroom tap, before slinking back down to the kitchen once she had composed herself.

_It still hurts… _she bit her lip.

He looked up, his expression solemn, and serious. He gestured for Mikan to sit down, and the brown eyed girl arched an eyebrow and delicately sat down, silently wondering what all the fuss was about. _He must have a good reason...either way, it won't affect me all that much. _Her grandfather looked down, "Mikan, I know you've been going through a hard time, with the absence of Hotaru, and all –"

"Oh, not this again," Mikan sighed, "Grandfather, I've told you that I'm perfectly fine –"

_Why won't he just take the hint? __**I don't want to talk to her. **__She is nothing to me now._

"I'm worried about you," he cut her off, his eyes trailing down to the dark, wooden table. "You're so different now. So cold and cut off from the world…I think the loss of Hotaru is really affecting you. I know I'm not a good guardian, but I only want what's best for you."

_The…best...for me? _Mikan narrowed her eyes. _I hope you haven't taken this possessiveness too far. I'm perfectly fine where I am._

"Some men approached me this morning and offered me a proposal," her grandfather **(2) **continued, his voice concerned. "I thought about it a lot. You – you used to have so much friends, and you used to be so happy. But now –look at you! Mikan, you've _changed _and I'm not sure I, as a substitute parent like it at all."

_He…doesn't like me…_

_He…doesn't…LIKE me…_

_Me…_

_Me..._

"_Nobody likes you, baka."_

_Doesn't –_

"I don't see where you're going with this," Mikan snapped, suddenly feeling very defensive. _How…how __**dare **__you! You can't judge me – and act like…like you actually __**care**__ about me! You don't know the first thing about my life. You never did and you never will – so don't insult me so carelessly! You are not, and never will be my Father! NEVER!_

"I-I'm getting there," he said, tiredly. He locked eyes with a frustrated Mikan, almost sadly. _Stop the games, old man. _"I thought very hard and I finally came to a decision…one that was best for you, I think."

_Decision? _The word trembled in Mikan's mind, almost like a silent, psychic warning. _Decision. _The word – it held so much potential, so much power. It could change her entire world in a split second. _Decision…what…is…your…descion?_

"_I hope you accept our offer."_

"_Please make your decision now."_

"_I have decided to leave."_

_**Decide.**_

"I've decided to send you to Gakuen Alice."

* * *

><p><em><strong>S<strong>_he had been shocked at first. Utterly and absolutely _flabbergasted_. (_He was sending her away?_) Then she processed what he'd said, and she'd been terribly angry. (_Sending her away… to…Gakuen Alice!) _She'd shouted and yelled, and had thrown the biggest tantrum she'd ever pulled in her life. (_"…act so flippant…look at you…don't care about…me…MY LIFE...understand anything…you- you-"_)She'd thrown things, vented her anger, and felt that dark, dark _hatred _burn inside her.

_How could he do this to me?_

Eventually she'd calmed down, if only because of the pitiful expression on her grandfather's face. (_"Mi-Mikan…"_) Finally, she'd collapsed onto the floor, and looked at him with large, almost childlike eyes, and asked him _why_. ("_I didn't want to go there. I never asked for it. I never wanted it. I don't want to see her ever again. Never__**. Ever**_.")

_To…to do such a thing…without even consulting my feelings…_

She didn't know why she was so upset. But she was. Her grandfather looked at her, regretfully. (_"There is nothing I can do now. It's all confirmed – everything."_) It was for the greater good, he told her. If she didn't accept it…she'd just go down the wrong path. _("Drugs, drinking, death – they all start like this. I don't want you to turn out badly. Please understand – I did it for you.")_

_To condemn someone – to force those to do something…against their own will…_

He turned away, refusing to listen to any more of her loud, harsh insults.

"**The road to Hell is paved with good intentions."**

That was the day that Sakura Mikan swore to cut all ties with her grandfather, _forever_, and her already thin, fragile trust in humankind withered and shrivelled up into ash.

_Humans…are they really so…_**heartless**_?_

* * *

><p><em><strong>B<strong>_arely a week later: a silent, spiteful brunette lugged her black suitcase down the steps of her house, barely glancing at her grandfather behind her, who was bidding her a tearful goodbye. _Pitiful. He thinks I still care, after what he did to me. _She didn't care for such trivial matters any longer. She was always on guard – she never let anyone inside the confines of her heart. And, if anyone dared harm her, she'd use her abnormal powers to bring upon the reaper's scythe on their souls.

_Ha, _she smirked to herself. _And when that time comes, it will truly be a test of my strength._

She looked up, her brown eyes carefully analysing the two burly men dressed in identical black suits. Everything looked extremely neat, and professional, much to her silent disgust. _Who were they trying to impress? _(Mikan's still felt awfully bitter about her predicament.)

She scanned them once more, idly flicking to her _Meomu_ Eyes (she mostly ignore the small pinch that happened every time she used her Sight casually) which revealed to her that they, too, had 'stones' in their body, but not ones large enough to spark her interest. (She didn't know what limit she had to her powers, but she'd decided to only use her 'copying' gift if the target in question was powerful enough to potentially be useful to her.)

_Still…two gifted men, working together…it seems odd. Hm, I'll think about it later. _

"Are you Sakura Mikan?" the first man asked, his voice deep and low. She silently dipped her head forward, flicking to and fro between her jumble of thoughts. _Yes. _The man didn't seem to notice, or care, about her lack-of-response, and simply nodded curtly, and opened the door of the shining black limousine that stood in front of her.

_At least they have tact._

Tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, Mikan held up the tips of her black and white Lolita dress, and daintily took her place in the back seat of the car, taking a split second to eye the rather ordinary insides of the vehicle – _just black, how boring…and I was hoping for something to entertain myself _– before gesturing for the second man to close the door. He glanced back at the frantic waves of her grandfather (was the girl going to _respond?_) and shrugged, indifferently. It was not his business, anyway.

A few minutes later, Mikan stared, emotionlessly outside the window, as she sped past the roads that she had once, and never again, would consider her home.

_Goodbye._

* * *

><p><em><strong>T<strong>_he ride to her new boarding school – the thought brought a bitter taste to her mouth – was quiet, and bleak. Mikan was getting agitated, because the other, taller bodyguard was keeping an abnormally close eye on her, so she couldn't do as much as play with her powers, no matter how unnoticeably. _It's almost like they…expect me to do something._

Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft, but sharp _screech _as the car sped to a halt. The person driving – a muscled man with a thick mop of blonde hair – shifted the gears and eyed her from behind his black tinted shades. "We have arrived, Miss Sakura."

_Oh, the joy._

Mikan looked up through the window, more than slightly interested about the famed school she was damned to spend her years at (though she hid it stealthily.) She had heard about how _rich _and _amazing _the school was, so she was expecting something modern and stylish – something that screamed 'genius.'

Of course, she was sorely disappointed when her view was largely obstructed by a tall, metal gate. She growled – she wasn't going to even _step _in there without knowing what she was getting into. _Do they think I am stupid? S_he quickly melted her eyesight into Meomu and suppressed an undignified gasp.

"What – ?"

The bars – they were _crackling _with energy. Sure, Mikan had occasionally been able to see a trace of a person's life energy, but this – this was so strong, that it very nearly _blinded_ her! It was almost as if a force field was surrounding the school – one that not even she could see through.

Mikan gritted her teeth and her fist clenched shut. _What…what __**was **__this school?_

The escort, the one with the black hair, and keen eye, chuckled, amusedly. "So, you have finally noticed it? I was wondering how long it would take you."

_What is happening?_

"I suppose we have hidden it from you long enough," the blonde said, and his appearance twisted and turned, and morphed **(3)** and suddenly, Mikan was looking at a completely different person. He was still blonde, but leaner, shorter and his features sparkled with an unnerving perfectness.

_WHAT IS HAPPENING!_

The brunette shook – she felt like something was getting sucked into her, and she suddenly ached all over. She cursed silently – her Copying Alice had activated itself. Mikan still wasn't able to completely control it…and now… she bent over, clutching her stomach, and looked up, her eyes murderous.

Mikan hissed, her voice threatening and almost deadly, though it didn't seem to affect the man at all. She looked around, feeling uneasily trapped in the confines of the car. "Who _are_ you?"

_Tell me._

Trickles of water formed from the tips of her fingers. _Reacting to her panic._

"I am the Head of Security – well, one of the departments at least. Codename – Nawaza." The blonde smiled, though Mikan wasn't the least comforted by that…_glint_ in his eye. "Truthfully, we were supposed to inform you about…this…long ago, but it was just so _amusing _to see you try and hide it from us."

_Fuck you!_

"You see, Miss Sakura, you were invited to Gakuen Alice for a reason," Nawaza laughed, unlatching the door. "Gakuen Alice isn't a school for geniuses. It is a school for people whom are gifted…gifted with _powers_."

Her eyes widened. _How did they know?_

He stood in front of her door, and casually opened it, bowing and holding out his hand to her, "These powers…we call them..._Alices_. And you, Mikan Sakura, are an Alice-user."

_Alice…_

_**Alice…**_

_Why does this word…feel so _right_?_

A voice whispered in her ear, almost like a caress – _because it is. This is your destiny._

* * *

><p><em><strong>T<strong>_here was silence. But before Mikan could even fully process his words, a loud, bubbly voice interrupted her thoughts. Tilting her head slightly – _what is it now? –_ she saw a blonde haired man, eerily similar looking to Nawaza only much, _much _more happy, bound towards their car, a cheesy grin stretching across his face. "Oh, hello~! You must be the new student, Miss Sakura~? I'm one of the teachers here, but you can call me Narumi-sensei~!"

_Sensei?_

He giggled to himself, as if enjoying a private joke. Mikan raised an eyebrow; feeling slightly disturbed by his abundance of cheeriness, especially after spending the car ride in a contemplative, dark silence. _Is he…okay? _Narumi (Mikan doubted she'd be referring to him as _sensei_ anytime soon) turned to Nawaza, and Mikan was once again struck with their near-identical looks…

_This…this is not normal._

_Are they – twins?_

"Oh~" Narumi laughed, his voice radiating an odd sort of vibration, **(4) **"You transformed into me! I am so flattered ! But please – do change back into your normal form !"

Nawaza, much to Mikan's confusion (and irritation, as she _hated_ not knowing what was happening) took a dazed step back, and his appearance immediately flickered back to the one that Mikan had seen before (only this time, he remained the same height and his hair was more spiky, an a dark, auburn colour) and he leaned on the car door, and seemed to fall over himself just to stare at Narumi.

Seeing her dubious expression, Narumi twirled around on the spot, "That, Mikan-chan (said girl ground her teeth together at the name) was my Alice. I am able to emit pheromones at will~ isn't it wonderful ?"

_I…I knew there were others…like __**me**__._

_But – I never thought there was…a…whole __**school**__. A community…of people – just like…me._

Mikan looked at him, her expression twisted into distaste (_No, she was thinking too much. They- they grew up in this environment. They weren't _anything_ like her)_ and for a split second, shock resounded in his eyes, and he seemed to mutter under his breath, "How come…she didn't feel anything? Could she be…?"

While Narumi continued his quiet contemplation, Mikan was silently raging an emotional war in her mind. It seemed like everything that had happened today just came rushing at her, and she had to fight tooth and nail to keep her outer appearance the same cold, indifferent façade that she had maintained for so long.

_Gakuen Alice…school for Alice-users._

_People with powers._

_They have recognized me –_

_Do I really belong here?_

_Could I be…a genius?_

Abruptly realizing that she was still in the car, Mikan rubbed her head, trying to sooth her emotions, and took a cautious step out, her dress fanning out around her, prettily.

She would think about it later.

* * *

><p><em><strong>S<strong>_omewhere else, not too far away, two narrowed red eyes watched from behind a black mask. His lips curved into a sneer and his voice was smooth, but dangerous, "It is time."

* * *

><p><strong>(1) <strong>In case that confused you, it means he was controlling it.  
><strong>(2) <strong>I know the lack-of-name is tiring, but it's never mentioned in the manga, so I'm sorry~ TT^TT  
><strong>(3) <strong>Harry Potter Fans: Think Tonks. :)  
><strong>(4) <strong>This is his Human Pheromone Alice…I didn't know how else to explain it from a Nullified POV.

**Supplementary Information**

**Sight/Meomumasu: **Presumably, the original user was capable of seeing a person's life energy (which basically, vaguely indicates how healthy a person is) and that ability, though heavily diluted is transferred onto Mikan. As well as this, the 'stones' she see in a person's stomach seem to indicate the power of their Alice, and if they had any at all. A normal person has a grey stone. The darker the stone was, the darker _they _were. A person with an Alice has a glowing stone, which is the colour of whichever element they are aligned to. It is simple logic – the bigger the stone, the more potent and powerful the Alice. There is, however, a restriction. Mikan is incapable of seeing through force fields or barriers, and if the original could or could not, is undetermined.

**Levitation: **Acquired through observation of a travelling circus – in particular, a famous acrobat who pulled tricks that looked far too advanced to be normal. Not much is told about the skill range of the Alice, but it is strong enough as so a person could assume it was just a simple air manipulation trick. This is one of the subjects Mikan is particularly keen on 'experimenting.'

**Water Manipulation: **Once again, little is known about this, but the original was able to control water to such an extent that he could _breathe _in it, so, ideally, Mikan could do the same, but to a much, much lesser extent. Not much has been tested about this Alice either, but it is seemingly the strongest Alice Mikan has collected yet.

**Copy: **It is extremely hard to control, just like all the Alices she has obtained with it. It can act up through particularly strong emotions, or simply a display of power. However, this is not the case for mind or pheromone Alices, as the user will actually have to concentrate to copy an Alice, because there is no virtual representation.

**Metamorphous: **Very briefly hinted to. It allows the user to change their appearance, but the flaw is that the change between your normal self and an artificial body, is that it is not an automatic transformation – it is quite easily noticeable, and takes a while to process fully. There is also a lot that could go wrong. The more features you alter (and the more drastic they are) the longer it will take, and the more it hurts. It is impossible for a male to change into a female (and vice-versa) because the ability only lets you change your outer image, not your actual genes. If one was to attempt that, the worst that could happen was that they would die, or be stuck a female/male forever.

**Nullification: **Mikan's other original Alice. It has been briefly hinted to towards the end, but she still remains blissfully unaware about its existence.


End file.
